Mac or not?

Poppytime

Marty_J wrote: »

OK, hold down cmd-s when the Mac is restarting. Once it has loaded, type the following:

/sbin/fsck -y [press enter]
/sbin/mount -uaw [press enter]
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone [press enter]
reboot [press enter]

Is there anyway we can now restore the Mac to its factory settings without the install disc? Thanks Marty

cymrugirl

I thought this article was quite interesting. Laughed out loud at the 2nd last paragraph because I've been looking to switch to a mac and have been reading up on macrumours forum and he really hits the nail on the head about some of the people who post there.teehee.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/digital-life/laptops/articles/whats-so-great-about-macs/2008/12/09/1228584827312.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Although I'm not a mac user yet - I'm looking to switch because:
1. pc is pretty old and I want something portable so want either a macbook or macbook pro
2. now that I work at a university I can get the higher ed discount (sweet)
3. when I compare it to the only other laptop I would consider purchasing (thinkpad t400) - with the discount, there actually isn't that much of a price difference
4. don't want to go to vista but can't wait for windows 7 and if I desperately need a windows environment then I can always use bootcamp or vm and have it running on the mac

The only things that really irk me about the macbook and mbp is:
1. I like to play my multi-region dvds and what I do at the moment is run region free so I can play them on my pc. On the macbooks/mbp it's not so easy to do (neither software nor firmware flashing works apparently on the dvd drives in the new laptops) so I'd probably have to get an external dvd drive. Not a ball-breaker but pretty annoying
2. I need to find out if my current laserjet printer is compatible. my sis bought a mbp last year and is tres p*ssed that there are no drivers for her printer.
3. The new version of the OS is rumoured to come out this year so it's putting me off getting one straight away...but then again, I'm not sure I want to be a guinea pig for a few months for the new OS but I don't want to pay more money to upgrade to it either!
4. I'm hoping for a back to school type special in september but that's quite a long time to wait...especially if it ends up being a poxy deal.

It all boils down to your needs and how much you're willing to pay. To me I like the look of them and I don't mind the learning curve. If it wasn't for the higher ed discount I might still um and ah about it but it's a pretty good deal for me considering the alternative I was going to get.

[Deleted User]

Thanks very much indeed to all who replied to my query:beer: . I've clicked on the 'thanks' button after all your posts but it hasn't seemed to work.

I seemed to have stirred up something of a hornet's nest which usually seems to be the norm when Mac and PC devotees come together. There was more accord at yesterday's G20 summit!

All opinions are welcome though as it's always useful to see something through the eyes of non-fans, but I'll be taking some of the anti-Mac views with a large pinch of salt.

I'll now mull over all your advice and hopefully visit Meadowhall this weekend to check out Mac models very carefully. Unfortunately I have no contact in the education sector to obtain a price-reduction but I'll definitely be taking the advice to check out the refurb models. If all else fails and I have to buy new via the Apple Store Online I can still claim 4% cashback from Quidco so it's not all bad news.

old_codger1

carbootcrazy wrote: »

Hi all

I've never ventured onto this forum before:o so please be gentle with me!

I've been a regular home computer user since 1997, mainly for personal use and latterly using it for a small home business. I've had various PCs in that time, upgrading as and when I could afford/need to, and working my way through from Windows 95 onwards. Apart from Windows 2000NT, all other Windows versions have, at times, caused me a lot of strife!

I now need a really good laptop with a reliable OS and am seriously considering a Mac. However, despite all the glitches and hassles I'm pretty much 'at home' with Windows and fear at my 'advanced' age I may find learning a whole new OS a bridge too far. Or am I just fearing the unknown? . Is the Mac system so different and is it complicated?

Any advice from any of you dedicated Mac users will be most welcome indeed. I must get the purchase of the laptop sorted before Easter and with the messageboards being offline for upgrading this weekend I realised I've chosen a bad time to post my request:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance

Unless you've got a hardware fault with your current PC it might be worth you downloading, (free:)), a copy of something like PCLinuxOS or Ubuntu and installing that on your hard disk. You can even leave your windoze stuff on it at the same time.

http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_ionFiles&func=download&Itemid=39

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Just choose one, burn it onto a CD and then boot from the CD drive and install. You can partition your hard disk to use as much or as little, (within reason, obviously:)), as you like.

Only cost? One blank CD

teddyco

Carbootcrazy,

I have been a devoted MAC user ever since the early 1980's when the first Macintosh home computer hit the market and I also owned a PC for a short period of time, but wasn't impressed with its' performance.

The issue that plagued many of the early MAC's was due to software incompatibility where PC's used Microsoft Word and Apple was using AppleWorks. A MAC user would construct a document on AppleWorks but Microsoft Word had trouble reading the document and it was a mess. It was also frustrating when trying to find programs written for the Macintosh since most of the markets were PC oriented.

These days, all the compatibility problems have been solved and MAC's speak to PC's without much trouble. Also, there are plenty of programs on the market for the MAC unlike 20 years ago.

My only complaint with Apple over the years has been with the cost associated with their home computers. One can purchase a decent PC system with free printer while the same kind of MAC system might cost twice as much. Steve Jobs maintains very high profit margins on his products and this has turned many off to Apple.

I will say without any reservation that the Leopard OS is indeed the best on the market while Microsoft's Vista has been plagued with one glitch after another. This has caused many devoted PC users to literally ditch Vista and go back to the older XP Operating System.

My brother-in-law is an IT Consultant and he switched to MAC when Apple moved into the 'entertainment' market when the iPod was released. He still uses and works with PC systems, but favors Macintosh for all of his personal home computing and entertainment.

One of the beauty's of owning a MAC is that you also have the option of adding many of the other Apple products that link magically with the MAC computer. The iPod, Apple TV, and iPhone all link up without any problems with the mother computer and add an element of excitement to being a MAC owner.

Trust me, you'll be very happy with Macintosh. It's very user friendly!

Percy1983

Still failing to see the point of them but as this is an anti Mac post mt points won't be taken seriously.

When I say Mac's are overpriced, I mean in like for like specs. Running boot camp to run half you programs is pointless you may aswell save money and buy a windows PC.

The main thing they do have is they are very good looking, and if you prefer looks over function then get one (along with most of the apple range).

As said they aren't bad PC's but with a windows PC I can do anything, with a Mac I would always have the doubt of 'would it work'.

An example is a program called TMPGenc I can't find anything which is as advanced on a Mac, and this is just one of many.

Millionaire

Op - Get a Mac if its in your budget, It only took me a few hours to get used to the OS.

I brought one of the Aluminum iMac's and thought it was great, but then needed something portable so sold it and went for a cheap £350 laptop (moneysaving and all that.) Got annoyed with it after being spoilt with my iMac so sold it and brought a white Macbook, then lived happily ever after...

Marty_J

Percy1983 wrote: »

Still failing to see the point of them but as this is an anti Mac post mt points won't be taken seriously.

When I say Mac's are overpriced, I mean in like for like specs. Running boot camp to run half you programs is pointless you may aswell save money and buy a windows PC.

Interesting article from last year:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148032/mac_vs_windows_laptops.html

I don't think Macs are over-priced at all when comparing like-for-like specs. Try going onto Dell and comparing similarly spec'd systems for yourself, and you might be surprised.

The main thing they do have is they are very good looking, and if you prefer looks over function then get one (along with most of the apple range).

I still struggle to understand what "function" Macs are deficient in.

As said they aren't bad PC's but with a windows PC I can do anything, with a Mac I would always have the doubt of 'would it work'.

Why?

You can do everything you can do on a PC on a Mac, and more. Microsoft's Windows 7 has a number of "new" features that Mac OS X has had for years.

Can Windows even open and save PDF files without using any additional software?

An example is a program called TMPGenc I can't find anything which is as advanced on a Mac, and this is just one of many.

Try ffmpegX.

Macs also ship with iMovie for free, and Apple make Final Cut Pro for professionals.

Working with video is one place where Mac OS X excels over Windows.

Idiophreak

Marty_J wrote: »

Working with video is one place where Mac OS X excels over Windows.

Yeah, that an garageband software

Marty_J

cymrugirl wrote: »

I like to play my multi-region dvds and what I do at the moment is run region free so I can play them on my pc. On the macbooks/mbp it's not so easy to do (neither software nor firmware flashing works apparently on the dvd drives in the new laptops) so I'd probably have to get an external dvd drive. Not a ball-breaker but pretty annoying

You could give VLC a try.